Heroes and Villains Fan Fest invaded the New Jersey Convention and Expo Center in Edison, NJ this weekend bringing celebrities, tons of merchandise, cosplay, and more. Where New York Comic Conâ€™s sheer size and crowds could make make the timid geek uncomfortable, HVFF is a perfect starter con for fans of all ages. The stars of some of the biggest comic themed shows on TV were there, highlighted by the DCâ€™s Arrow-verse stars and those from FOXâ€™s Gotham. Fans lined up for photo ops with their favorite celebs, and had their pick of merchandise from hundreds of vendors. HVFF also offered a number of interactive panels and Q&As.

Fans piled into the Expo Center and filled the panel area on Saturday. My wife and I were privileged to moderate the Firestorm panel featuring Victor Garber, Franz Drameh and Robbie Amell. 5 cast members from Gotham took the stage next for their panel and another packed crowd before the Arrow veterans, David Ramsey (Diggle), Katie Cassidy (Black Canary/Siren) and Colton Haynes (Roy Harper/Arsenal) completing a trifecta of celeb panels on Day 1. Artist Rob Prior who drew the promotional artwork for the visitor badges entertained with an art display before the cosplay contest finished off the main stage. Day 2 saw panels with Candice Patton (Iris West-Allen) and Hartley Sawyer (Ralph Dibney), Tyler Hoechlin (Superman), and the young Arrow crew of Echo Kellum (Curtis Holt/Mr. Terrific), Juliana Harkavy (Dinah Drake/ Black Canary), and Rick Gonzalez (Wild Dog).

Fans not only got to dress as their favorite characters, but also lined up to get tattoos of their favorite characters as well. Along with celebrity photo ops, HVFF offered photos in the living room set from Stranger Things season 1, and you could also take photos in the original Batmobile thanks to Delorean Entertainment You can check them out here. Amazing Star Wars droids and lightsaber displays were put on courtesy of the 501st Legion and you can see more of them at 501st.com. As my wife readied to interview Constantineâ€™s Matt Ryan on the Live stage, they did a trivia giveaway of supercool earrings from Supernatural Specialties Bullet Casing jewelry.

Go to Heroes and Villains Fan Fest to find the HVFF coming to an area near you. They have shows on the west coast, midwest and London scheduled throughout the next year.